Brian Fortuna
Brian Fortuna '(born September 20, 1982) is an American professional ballroom dancer, choreographer and instructor, best known as a professional dancer on the BBC One dance series Strictly Come Dancing. Career Fortuna was starring in Theatre Production's Limited Over the Rainbow as Danny Cassidy. He also filmed in the emotional romantic short film Love + 1 with Alison Carroll and Andy Barnes. Fortuna was Principal Dancer in Burn the Floor during its 2010 run at the Shaftesbury Theatre. In London's West End. His performances earned him a 2011 What's On Stage Award nomination as Best Newcomer. He was Lead Choreographer and Consulting Producer for Dancing on Wheels. The groundbreaking show premiered on BBC Three in February 2010 and was produced by Fever Media. Dancing on Wheels pairs disabled and able-bodied contestants as they learn the art of ballroom and Latin DanceSport. The show had the highest premiere ratings for a documentary in BBC history. Fortuna is an instructor and performer nationwide. Brian's other credits include National Ballroom and Latin Ten Dance finalist; choreographer and coach for the award-winning salsa team, Ritmo Latino; performer with the musical sensation, "The Tramps;" champion of the North American Amateur Latin Championships in 2003; and a top pro-am teacher. Brian also excels in Wheelchair DanceSport Wheelchair Ballroom and Latin DanceSport and is very proud to be a teacher and performer for the United States Wheelchair Dancing Association, founded by his mother, Sandra Fortuna. In 2004 he choreographed a very successful commercial for the Bank of Madrid in Spain, which showcased wheelchair dancing. Fortuna was the featured dancer in the Oscar award-winning film The Aviator, with Leonardo DiCaprio; appeared in TV series South Beach with Vanessa Williams, and had a starring role in the Canadian documentary, Live to Dance. 'Dancing on Wheels On May 28, 2009, the BBC issued a press release about their upcoming show Dancing on Wheels which uses the same title as a documentary from April 2007. This project aims to promote Wheelchair DanceSport with Fortuna as the lead choreographer. Competitors will be put through intense training, as seen on Strictly Come Dancing, and will compete for a chance to represent the United Kingdom at the Wheelchair Dance Sport European Championships in Israel in the Fall of 2009. The programme began transmission on BBC3 on Thursday 11 February 2010. Also joining the show will be Fortuna's celebrity partner from Strictly Come Dancing, Heather Small, as well as Olympic swimmer Mark Foster, actress Michelle Gayle, actor Kevin Sacre, rugby player Martin Offiah and presenter Caroline Flack. The BBCOneLife documentary, Dancing on Wheels (broadcast in England on BBC1 at 10:35pm on April 17, 2007) followed some of the teams at the Championships, including the Inverclyders and Concorde Wheelchair Dancers, exploring some of the reasons that people enjoy wheelchair dance in the UK. 'Dancing with the Stars' Fortuna competed on Dancing with the Stars during its 4th season; partnering former Miss USA, Shandi Finnessey. His television success allowed him to dance as a principal dancer in the next two national Dancing with the Stars tour. Brian did double duty on the tour and was chosen to also host the third DWTS tour in front of sold out audiences of 15,000 people per night. His hosting talents captured the attention of ABC who chose Brian as series co-host with Dancing with the Stars partner Shandi for ABC's Dancing with the Stars... Online Encore. 'Stage' Fortuna appeared in Royal & Derngate's production of Aladdin. The show ran from December 9, 2011 to January 8, 2012. Fortuna starred in Theatre Production Ltd's Over the Rainbow as Danny Cassidy. The show began touring the UK on September 3, 2011. Fortuna and Ali Bastian headlined Burn the Floor's run at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London's West End. The show ran from July 21 to September 4, 2010. Filmography Fortuna appeared as a featured dancer in the film The Aviator. He was also the choreographer and dancer in the television drama South Beach starring Vanessa L. Williams. Strictly Come Dancing In 2008, Fortuna was invited to join the Strictly Come Dancing cast, where he competed with M People's Heather Small and finished eighth. Series 7 in 2009 saw Brian partnered with former Hollyoaks and The Bill actress, Ali Bastian. The pair danced their way to the semi-finals and earned a perfect score for their American Smooth and Viennese Waltz; the highest score for a Viennese Waltz in Strictly Come Dancing history. At Christmas 2008, Brian was partnered with Kelly Brook. They danced the Jive to Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree and scored 39 out of 40.They were one of four couples to get the same score and after the judges ranked the couples they were left in fourth place by the judges. When the judges' scores were added to the audience vote, they came second overall to Jill Halfpenny and Darren Bennett. 'Partners' *Heather Small (Series 6) - 8th Place *Ali Bastian (Series 7) - 3rd Place 'Couples' *Heather Small and Brian Fortuna *Ali Bastian and Brian Fortuna Category:Professional Dancers Category:Male Professional Dancers Category:Series 6 Category:Series 7